Memories
by SammiEngel
Summary: The death of Sheryl and Tyki's mother has left them out on the streets living as orphans. They struggle to survive as they travel around keeping themselves on the move to find their father who abandoned them for revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**So I'm working on this new story which is basically the past of Sheryl Kamelot and Tyki Mikk. It starts from their early childhood up to where Sheryl will be first introduced in the manga. I'm sure none of this happened, but for now (until the real past is revealed) this will be my description of their life together. There will be several chapters and I hope to continue soon. (': **

**Rated "M" for possible pedophilia, incest, language, and content. :' **

"Tyki, let go of me! You're holding on too tight!"

Sheryl tried to pry his little brother off of him without upsetting the poor child in any way. Their mother just watched the two adoringly as Sheryl struggled with his baby brother and his grip. "Mother, why is he always like this when we try to bathe him?" the boy groaned. Their mother shrugged before pulling Tyki off of Sheryl carefully. "I'm not sure. Maybe he's afraid of the tub, or perhaps the water." Sheryl blinked in confusion. "Why would he be afraid of water? He's never been hurt in the water."  
>"Maybe he thinks he will."<p>

"But he can't! The water is too shallow."

"But Tyki doesn't know that, he's only a child." Tyki clung to his mother as if for dear life. "Nao! No bath, mama!" Tyki whined and whined. "Tyki, please just let go. You're holding onto me too tight dear." Their mother asked him kindly and within moments the scared infant slowly let go of his mother. "Much better." Sheryl sighed and watched the two, mainly Tyki. His brother was five years old and terrified of water. He was five years old and Sheryl had been happy the child lived that long with the poverty he and his family lived in; what didn't help was how ill their mother had been when she was pregnant with Tyki. She had developed some sort of disease after two months of pregnancy and after she had developed the disease their father walked out. He never came back and that always angered Sheryl. He could feel rage fill him as he thought about it. Even when his father was there he had neglected him and his mother (he even had affairs that his mother never knew about, but Sheryl did).  
>"Irmao!"<br>Sheryl felt his hair being tugged and snapped out of his thoughts. "Ow!" Tyki giggled a little at the reaction he got from Sheryl and reached over to pull again, but his mother stopped him. "Don't pull your brothers' hair, Coelho." She smiled at him sweetly before she coughed. "Mama, I don't want a bath." Tyki whined. "But brother you smell disgustingly. Here – I'll take a bath with you, okay? I'll make sure the water won't hurt you." Sheryl stood up and began to undress him to get into the tub with his little brother. Tyki blinked, then let his mother undress him and got into the tub after Sheryl. Even in the bath, the child clung to his older brother, still frightened by the shallow water. Their mother watched the two as Sheryl began to clean his baby brother, letting out another cough. Sheryl looked at her for a moment, knowing that she was not getting any better.  
>Later that night Sheryl helped his mother to bed. The poor woman was very ill and Sheryl had a feeling she would not last much longer. He feared this every night as he helped her to bed. "Thank you, Sheryl." She said quietly. "Sheryl, I want you to know that whatever happens, I trust you can take care of your little brother. He loves you more than anything, I can tell and I can see you feel the same towards him." Sheryl only nodded in response, unsure of what to say to his dying mother. "One day you'll get married and have children of your own that you will need to care for and provide for. Don't be like your father. You'll make a great husband and father, I'm sure of it." Sheryl nodded once again and smiled at her. "I know, mother." That was all he could say to her. Not long after, his mother fell asleep. He got up quietly and headed over to his and Tyki's room. Sheryl quietly slipped into bed, careful not to wake Tyki up.<br>The next day Tyki had gotten up before Sheryl. He rubbed his tired little eyes and looked around the room before looking down at his big brother, who was sleeping next to him. The infant shook him lightly but Sheryl was still dead asleep and wouldn't wake up. So with that, he decided to wake up his mother to get something to eat. The child mumbled to himself about food as he walked to his mother's room. He frowned when he saw his mother laying there still in bed and not up. "Mama, I'm hungry." He said. But she did not respond and this made the boy frustrated. "Mama," Tyki climbed into her bed and stood next to her, "get up!" He began to jump on the bed a bit to wake her up but still nothing. His mother did not move and this made Tyki whine a bit. He was hungry and couldn't make food for himself. This time he decided to shake her – but once he touched her skin he pulled his hand back. She was freezing cold. "Mama, why are you cold?" he pulled the blanket over her to warm her up. His mother would not respond and this made Tyki upset. He got up and walked back to bother Sheryl now. "Irmao I'm hungry and mama won't get up!" Sheryl didn't respond either. "UGH." The infant crawled onto the bed and started pulling at the blankets. Nothing. This time, he pulled Sheryl's hair and this woke him up. "OW! Tyki!" Sheryl groaned as he slapped his little brother's hand away. "That hurt!"

"Mama won't get up! Make me food!"

"Mother won't get up? She's still sleeping?"

"She was cold so I covered her too."

This little bit of information worried Sheryl. Cold? Still sleeping? Could it be - ?

_No…_

Sheryl got up quickly and told Tyki to stay in their room. The little boy watched his brother run out of the room and frowned. Sheryl quickly entered his mother's room, seeing that she was still in bed. "M-mother?" he asked quietly, afraid. There was no answer and this displeased the teen. He noticed how pale she seemed and this was all turning to what he feared most: his mother was dead. He walked over to her side slowly, examining her features. Yes, she showed the signs of death. Sheryl did nothing but frowned as he touched her ice cold skin, taking it in so suddenly. The death of his mother was heart-breaking and he wasn't sure what he was going to do now. Did she know she was going to die overnight? Is that why she said what she said to him? So many questions filled his head but of course he wouldn't get an answer now. She was gone.

"Mama isn't gonna get up, is she?"

Sheryl stood still for a brief moment before turning to his little brother. He stood in the doorway, his face showing not a single ounce of emotion. "…no." Sheryl didn't know what to say to him, but he couldn't lie. Tyki didn't seem to be affected…

"Will you help me, Tyki? We need to bury mother."

"Why?"

"So she can sleep peacefully."

"Okay, I guess."

"Good Tyki."

The child walked over to Sheryl and hugged him lightly then let go, looking at his dead mother. "Can she have her blanket? She'll get cold in the ground." Sheryl nodded slowly. "Of course."

After several hours of digging, the two brothers managed to carry their mother outside. She was awfully light which made Sheryl frown. She was so skinny, so ill. They carefully put the corpse in the grave that they dug and made sure that the blanket covered her entire body. Tyki sat on the ground and watched as Sheryl began to bury her. "Bye bye, mama." He waved slowly at their mother. Even though he knew he would never see her again, he didn't say he would miss her or any of that. He just said goodbye.

"Come on Tyki."

Sheryl kept a firm grip on his baby brother's hand. The two were now alone and had nobody to watch over them. Sheryl assumed that he would be the one to take care of Tyki but how? He had no money – he was too young to live by himself. Though at certain places he could get a job and work but he would get little pay and Sheryl hated working, but he had to do something. They were orphans now and had nowhere to stay. They couldn't stay at their old home, there were too many memories there and they could never keep it stable with the way it was. The two kids had nowhere to go, nobody to stay with. They walked to town together holding hands, hoping that whatever happened, they would find a way to survive on their own.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kay, chapter two is doooone. This one was a bit long to write. I'm really wanting to get ahead to a part that I've thought a lot about, but I can't. So things will be slow, sorry. Enjoy, though 3 **

Months have passed since the death of their mother, and Sheryl felt as if it were only a dream. But it wasn't. It was all very much real and this made Sheryl angry. The two boys were orphans now and had nowhere to stay. They were on eht streets and food had been difficult to get. Sheryl would talk Tyki into going up to people asking for some sort of food or some change to get food, and most would give him what he wanted because of how young he was. The teen had been thankful for Tyki doing what he was told without any questions asked. "Brother, we need to get out of here - out of Portugal. We should find father." Sheryl said as he sat on the ground, Tyki in his lap. He pet his hair softly. "But you don't like him. Why?" Tyki twiddled his thumbs absent-mindeldlt. "We need to, Tyki. He left us. The man should take care of us. But he isn't. So we should find him and take what is ours, little brother. He should be punished."

"Are we going to hurt him?"

"Yes."

Tyki didn't protest against it but he didn't want to do it. The child never knew his father and he would rather keep it that way for now, even though he was only five years old. He knew better. The infant looked up at his brother and noticed the smile he gave him. He felt happy seeing his older brother smiling at him and he couldn't help but stand up and hug his brother. "Eu te amo, irmao." Tyki mumbled into his brother's neck. Sheryl hugged him back lovingly.

"I love you too, Tyki. More than anything in the world."

"More than food?"

"Much more."

"More than aminals?"

"Animals, Tyki - and yes."

"More than - " Tyki had been cut off as Sheryl kissed his cheek. "More than air, more than life." The older sibling held his brother in his arms. The two had been in the middle of town for a few weeks; they had no home and no clean clothes. The two were dirty and tired and Sheryl didn't want to stay there any longer. "Brother we need to go. We need to get money. I think I might try to work." Tyki frowned. "But we're too little."

"Not me. I'm supposed to be working at me age, silly."

"You hate working."

"I'll get over it." Sheryl really did hate working but for them to survive they neeed money, and to get money he needed to work, and to work he needed a job. But where could he work? Shops tend to only hire family members or friends. Maybe I can work at the mine site. _They don't mind people my age there. _The thought of working at a dangerous place made Sheryl on edge, but he had to. It was the only place he knew that accepted anyone at any age, and could give him a decent pay. He would just work there for a littel bit...just to get enough money for a train. "Come on, we're going to take a walk." Sheryl let go of Tyki to stand and then grab his hand, leading him. "Where are we goin'?"

"To the mine site, little brother. We can stay there. I'll get some money, too."

The two walked for hours and Tyki began to whine about his feet hurting. At that point, Sheryl picked up his little brother and carried him. "Irmao, are we there yet?" Tyki asked him tiredly. Sheryl sighed and shook his head. "No...I'm not sure. Maybe." The teen and stopped walking to look at where they were. The teen was satisfied to realize that they were finally there and sighed happily as he walked closer to the site. There were a few little buildings there and Sheryl decided to go inside one of them. He placed Tyki down on the wooden floor and looked around inside. "Tyki, cover your mouth." Tyki did as he was told, not sure exactly why. Sheryl looked around a bit more and finally grabbed what he had been looking for - two masks. He gave one to Tyki and helped him put it on before putting on his own. "Why are we using these?" Tyki asked him.

"So we don't breathe the disgusting air, Tyki. It's harmful." He grabbed one of the blankets he noticed on the floor and gave it to Tyki. "We'll stay here, and I'll get some money. Then we can get on the train and...leave."

"But I don't wanna go. I like it here." Tyki looked a but upset. Sheryl frowned a little and touched Tyki's shoulder and sighed. "Lay down, Tyki. You're tired. Get some rest." The child listened to his brother and covered himself with the blanket as he lay on the hard wooden floor. Sheryl watched him do so and decided to stay up. Obviously someone had been living in there still and with the two just walking in they wouldn't be upset to see kids using their things. He would stay up in case they came back.

About an hour passed now and Sheryl was getting tired himself. He began to doze off until a loud whistle-like noise woke him and Tyki up. "What is that?" Tyki sat up and rubbed his tired little eyes. "Nnn - " Sheryl pulled the blanket over the two and brought Tyki down with him. "Shh, someone is coming." Sheryl whispered. The two kept quiet as they hear voices coming closer to the building. "I-irmao.."

"Hush!"

Two voices got closer and closer. They sounded like men - older men. They were talking about their jobs and about getting drinks and all that. Sheryl simply rolled his eyes. Typical for these sort of men to involve themselves in thinks like drinking and gambling. The two kids kept quiet as they tried their best to hide, but they didn't hide well enough. "Ey! What the hell is this?" the blanket was removed from the kids and Sheryl quickly grabbed Tyki to him and held him close. "What is this? There are two lil' kids! What are you two doin' here?" the man stared down at them. He didn't seem mad, but he certainly was not pleased. Tyki stared up at him, nearly terrified. He kept quiet. Sheryl stared back as well, unsure of what to say. But without hesitation, he began to speak. "S-sorry, sir. We came here to rest, we have nowhere to s-stay and we need money."  
>"This ain't no place for kids."<p>

"I'm not a kid! I'm thirteen! I-I need to get money for me and my little brother!"

The man kept quiet for a moment, looked back at his friends who were just about dumbstruck. "How old is the kid?"

"He's only five." Sheryl kept him close. He didn't trust these men. The man stared at them for a moment before sighing. "Look, kid. I guess you can stay here, but I can't promise you gettin' a job here. You gotta talk to the manager or somethin'."

"Take me to him! I-I'll do anything! I just need to work a little bit. That's all."

"Just take 'em to the guy, Ben." One of the guys from behind him said. "Look at 'em. They're just kids. Can't just let them stay here and not get anything for it."

Sheryl looked at the one named 'Ben', and nodded. "Y-yes...please." Tyki snuggled close to Sheryl, being quiet and afraid. With a sign, 'Ben' shook his head. "Fine, fine. I'll go take ya to him, try to talk to him about it. But just 'cause you two are kids don't mean it's gonna be easier on you, got it?"

Sheryl simply nodded, hopeful that he'd get the job. He didn't plan on staying long - just long enough to get out of Portugal.


	3. Chapter 3

With much luck, Sheryl was allowed to stay and work at the minning site. The manager agreed only so long he didn't have to be blamed for any injuries to the little one - and Sheryl agreed. He was responsible for Tyki, nobody else. Ben walked with Sheryl back to the others. "Ya know, you're pretty lucky. Not many people are accepted on the spot to work 'ere." he looked at Sheryl who was just looking ahead. He could tell that the boy was uncomfortable leaving the little one behind. "'Ey, what's your name anyway? Why are you kids all alone?" Sheryl didn't respond to the man. He didn't feel it was any of his business - and it wasn't. Without getting a response, they arrived back and Tyki got up and ran to his older brother. "So so so so so?" he asked, hopeful. Sheryl smiled at him. "We can stay. I get to work here. Why are you so hyper?" He never really had seen Tyki all energetic. The little one just smiled. " 'Cause we have a home now, brother!" The older boy blinked. "Home? Tyki, we're not staying here long. We're not home..."

"It is for now!"

"Not for long."

"So!"

"Oh, fine. Call it home."

"I will!" Tyki let go of him and turned to go to the other men who had been sitting on the ground, drinking out of mugs. Sheryl raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and walked over to see what they were drinking. "What is that?" he asked one of the men. "Eh? Coffee. Want some?" the man asked. "Coffee?" he glanced over at Tyki, who was wandering around their new 'home'. Sheryl glared back at the man. "You gave my five year old brother coffee?" The man nodded. "Yeah, why? He was tired and thirsty."

"He's going to be awake all night now."

"Nah, I doubt that."

"What would you know?"

"Well for one thing - kid - I'm older than ya. Don't you get lippy with me."

"I'm not a kid."

"Seeing that you're smaller than me, you're a kid."

Sheryl began to get angry with this man. He was no child, and certainly did not like being called a 'kid'. "Whatev-" he was cut off by the sudden attack of Tyki. "T-Tyki!" The child had enough force to knock him down onto the ground. "Irmao!" Tyki giggled. "Play with me! Like at home, like mama!" Sheryl looked up at the child, frowning a little. "I-I don't think we should right now, Tyki. It's almost time to go to bed. It's late."

"Please?"

"What did you want to play?"

"I dunno." The child climbed onto Sheryl and nuzzled his cheek. The older brother frowned, confused by the actions of his little brother. "What has gotten into you...?" he muttered. Tyki ignored him and began to calm down as Sheryl began to stroke his hair softly. "You're so strange, you know that little brother? But you're unique." The three men watched the kids for a moment, one of them just rolling their eyes and then other just shaking his head, laughing to himself. Ben - however - watched them with arms crossed. He watched Sheryl and Tyki, curious about them, curious about their relationship. He could see in Sheryl that they were close - but how close? For now he would ignore it.

The night went on and everyone went to bed. Tyki slept next to Sheryl on the ground. They snuggled close to each other to keep warm (it was cold, even when covered with a blanket). The sound of thunder grew close, and as it did the little one began to stir in his sleep. The loud sound of thunder coming closer and closer frightened him and he opened his eyes, frowning. "Irmao, wake up. It's getting scary." he said quietly, shaking his older brother. Sheryl groaned as he was woken up, rubbing his eyes a bit to see a little better. "What?"

"The big boom noises are coming!"

"That's just thunder. It's going to rain is all."

"Rain? I don't like that..."

"Because of the water?"

"Mnn.." Tyki huddled close to Sheryl, shaking slightly. The poor child was afraid of thunder, too? Or was the thought of rain scaring him? "It'll be okay Tyki...just close your eyes and try to sleep." Tyki held onto Sheryl's clothes tightly. "I-irmao I'm scared."

"Don't be."

"Aren't you?" The little child looked up at his brother as he still clung to him, wondering if his older brother feared the loud noises and the rain. Sheryl smiled at him and shook his head. "No, of course no- " A loud crackling sound cut the boy off and he jumped as the thunder boomed. Tyki blinked in confusion and clung to his brother now as if for dear life. "I-Irmao?" The child started to worry. But in response all he got was small laughter coming from his older brother. "Th-that scared me. I didn't expect it!" he giggled a bit. "I'm not afraid of it, but it's not something I like. Just ignore it Tyki." He pulled the blankets over their heads and kept each other close. "We'll be safe under the blanket."  
>"Safe from the booms?"<p>

"Yes, safe from the booms."  
>They finally both fell asleep. The storm carried on for a few hours, but the two boys slept through it, feeling safe under the covers with each other.<br>The next morning, Tyki had gotten up to notice that his brother was gone. He thought nothing of it, assuming that Sheryl went to go work. The boy was so tired he musnt't have heard the siren go off calling them in - but he did notice that Ben stayed behind. "Why are you here still?" Tyki asked tiredly. The older man looked at him and grinned. "Ah, can't work. Gotta watch ya. You're not allowed to be alone." he said. Tyki frowned but didn't mind. "Oh, okay. They're working?"

"Yep. Hey, hungry?"

"Yes."

"Here," he tossed Tyki a piece of bread. "It's not much but it's what we can provide for now."

Tyki didn't complain. He took little nibbles from it and sat on the ground. "Thank you mister."

Ben smiled at him. "You can just call me Ben, y'know? No need to be all formal."

"Irmao says it's rude to call someone by their first name unless you know them."

"That's kinda true, but I don't care. Neither does Antonio or Lucas. Just call us by our names, kid."

Tyki blinked but shrugged. "Okay." he took a few more smaller bites of the bread. "We're gonna be here for a while. Irmao says so. He doesn't like it here too much, but I kinda do."  
>"Why's that?"<p>

" 'Cause I like how we share things. It's like a giant family. I dunno you or the other two, but I like it when it's not just me and irmao."

"What is with him, anyway?"

"Huh?" Tyki looked up from his food to the older man, slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

Ben stared at him for a brief moment, trying to think of a way to have him understand. "Your brother - he's weird is all I'm saying. Somethin' about him gives off this weird feeling. You don't get weirded out by him?"

"No, he's my brother. I love him and he loves me. Why is that weird?"

"Not to you, but people who see you two together. I dunno kid, I'd just say watch out. He looks like he could snap any time."

"Snap?"

Ben stopped what he was saying, remembering he was talking to a six-year-old. "Ah, nothin'. Just forget it kid."

"My name isn't 'kid' I'm Tyki. Please call me that." the little boy finished his breakfast. Ben smiled a bit and nodded. "Alright Tyki. Sorry. Hey, want to kill some time?"

"How?"

"We can go fishin' if you'd like. I got a pole I made. We can get some better food too."

Tyki smiled and stood up. "Yeah!"  
>"Alright, lets get ready to go then." Ben stood up as well and grabbed what they would need. The two walked to the small lake nearby to wait for the three to return.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**o u o yay, chapter 5! Doing pretty well, if I must say so myself...I'm trying to make things more detailed for you - and I want you to keep an eye out for anything that could "foreshadow". I don't want to give it away, though. But just keep an eye out c;**

**This story is going by a bit quickly, so I'm going to be extending the amount of chapters I originally planned to make it much more longer and much more..."accurate". I've got the whole story planned out really, but with the help of a good friend, more is going to be added to make it much more interesting. I'm just gonna laugh when/if their real background is revealed and it's NOTHING like this haha. **

**Characters belong to Katsura Hoshino, not me people ; v; sadly...~ **

For the next few months, Sheryl and Tyki had stayed with the three men. They got to learn each others names much better (though Sheryl still disliked Ben) and became a bit closer. Ben, Antonio, and Lucas were their names and Tyki hung around them much more as Sheryl would be off working. Ben had decided that while Sheryl worked, he would stay and care for the little one as the others would also work. Sheryl didn't like the idea but had no choice in the matter. He wouldn't be there all the time to care for Tyki so someone had to. Working in the mines was something Sheryl didn't enjoy too much. There was so much to be done and such little pay in return; the conditions weren't even any better. He made Tyki wear a mask at all times so he wouldn't get sick. Sheryl himself did not -however- not concerned for himself one bit. The days went by and turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. There was still much to do and still such little money gained, though Sheryl didn't complain too much. He needed the money. _They_ needed the money. Sheryl would do this for Tyki. He would do this to be able to get Tyki to a safe place and make sure nothing happened to him, and care for him and love him. That's all Sheryl wanted. To be able to love his brother and make sure nothing happened to him. After a long day, Sheryl finally returned back to their 'home'. He came slumping in, tired and exhausted from a whole day of mining. His clothes were tattered and filthy and his face had smears all over. Tyki had been sitting next to Ben playing with cards. The child didn't even notice his older brother until he fell to the ground, passing out. Worried, Tyki got up and ran to his older brother. "Sheryl! Are you okay?" he tried to shake the older boy, but the only response he got was a mumbled sentence that he couldn't make out. Tyki took that as a sign that he was alright rather than getting nothing. The poor teen was exhausted. The child frowned and pulled the blankets over his older brother. "He works so hard. I wanna help..."  
>"You're too young, kid. But if ya really wanna get some money, then perhaps I can teach you a lil' somethin'." Ben smirked at the child. Tyki looked back at him, then the other two men who came in looking just as tired as his brother. "Ey Ben, any food?" Antonio groaned. It was obvious how tired he was. The way he and Lucas walked were their feet just dragging. "Food, I need it." Lucas complained. The child smiled at the two men and let out a small giggle. It was funny to see older men complaining like children. "We caught more fish today!" Tyki exclaimed. The two men seemed to get a small burst of energy - enough to make them fo search for the fish. Tyki watched them for a moment, then looked at Ben. "So what did you wanna teach me?" he asked, sitting in front of him. Ben pulled out a deck of cards, chuckling a bit. "Ah, just a lil' game called poker. It's easy really, and depending on the situation - you win some big money." Tyki watched the man shuffle the cards. "Oh?" The child seemed interested. "So can I play for money then?"<p>

"You gotta learn, first. Then practice. I can't steal your money, kid."

"But I want to earn some!"

"Then practice first. Then we'll see if you can place any real bets."

Tyki frowned. "Oh, fine!" he didn't like that he had to practice first. He didn't think he had too. It was just a game, right? How hard could it be? The guys all sat around and Tyki kept his place in front of Ben. He watched as Ben handed out the cards and began their game.

The next day Sheryl awoke to find Tyki cuddling next to him like always. It was a shame that he had fallen asleep right as he got off work, and he didn't get a chance to eat. _Oh well_. He'd have to wait until later to get his meal. The little one made a few mumbling noises in his sleep. Sheryl didn't want to get up and work today - he was too tired. He just wanted to sleep and stay here, with his brother. That is what he'd do. Today Sheryl would stay 'home'. With a smile, he snuggled close to his little brother.

"Irmao, get up!"

Sheryl groaned in response to the voice he heard. "What? Why?" His eyes were still heavy and he couldn't open them. "Irmao, look what I found! It's so cute! Let's keep him!" Tyki exclaimed. The teen was highly confused. "What?" He finally opened his tired eyes to see a fuzzy animal in his face. Tyki held it out to him and had the biggest grin on his face. "A kitty, irmao! Can we keep it, please?" the child nearly begged. "Where did you find it?" Sheryl began to sit up, rubbing his eyes while doing so. The animal was indeed cute, and he couldn't help but stroke its soft fur. "He was outside! I gave him some of my fish and he kept following me, irmao! Can we keep him, please? I'll take good care of him, I will! I promise!" Sheryl tilted his head to the side, thinking. His eyes travelled around to find Ben and the other guys - they were playing their card game. "Ben said if you said yes 'cause he don't care."  
>"He doesn't care? Hm." There was no doubt that Tyki would be upset if he couldn't keep it. Sheryl would feel too bad about it. "I-I guess so, brother. But I'm not caring for it. You have to, understand?" The child's eyes brightened and his smile grew almost impossibly wide. "Thank you, irmao!" he exclaimed as he hugged the cat close to him. Tyki leaned down to give his older brother a kiss on the cheek, then ran off. The teen blinked and watched him. The black cat jumped out of his arms and onto the ground, exploring the small place. The curious creature sniffed at Tyki's little feet and he giggled. "That tickles!" Sheryl couldn't help but smile at the two. "Brother, what are you going to name him?" Sheryl asked as he stood up. Tyki stopped to think. "Umm...Eloi!"<p>

"Eloi? Well, alright then." The child kneeled down and pet the cat. The poor creature was scrawny as can be, but showed how much energy it could have. The cat began to pat at Tyki's hand playfully, and Tyki seemed amused. Sheryl had gotten up and walked over to the men. "Ben, where did Tyki find the animal?" he asked. The teen didn't want to even talk to the man, but he didn't seem to care at the moment. Ben shrugged. "Just found it while we went fishin'." he said. "The kid seems to be attached already to it." The teen nodded a bit, looking back at Tyki, then to Ben. At this moment, Sheryl realized that, despite the months he and Tyki spent here, he never even looked Ben in the eye. And as he did now, something in him made anger fuel him. The energy that had been lost from hard hours at work, returned to him in a momeny of fury. But he didn't understand why. This man - he was so familiar in a way, he was almost like a stranger too. Perhaps he never looked at him because deep in his mind he knew this would happen? But he never looked at him until now - ! This made no sense to him, but he quickly turned away. Ben glared at him, seeing all this with his own eyes. The facial expression the teen gave him didn't make things easy to hide. "Look, kid - " Sheryl cut him off. "We'll be leaving one day, you know. So don't think you'll get too close to my brother, and don't let him get close to you. There's no point with our situation - so cut it off!" And with that, Sheryl stormed off. He went over to his little brother and Eloi. "Hello there, little Eloi," Sheryl cooed. The cat looked at him and let out a small "meow". The teen smiled and picked up the cat, petting his head softly. "Welcome to the family, little Eloi." The cat purred as he was caressed. Tyki smiled up at his brother, then hugged his waist. "Thanks you brother. I love you!"  
>"I love you too, Tyki."<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

It was late at night now, and everyone was asleep. Ben slept on the ground, the same as Anonio and Lucas. Tyki slept with his new pet, cuddled up in the blankets. Eloi kept purring in his sleep while curled up with his owner. There was nobody next to him. Sheryl's spot was empty. He wasn't there in their 'home', he was outside. The teen had wandered off far from the shed, off near the mines. Sheryl wasn't sleep-walking - he was very much awake. He was out for a walk. He needed to get away for a moment. The boy was miserable; his head hurt, he was exhausted, and most of all: he missed his mother. Sheryl had been too busy trying to be brave for Tyki and show him that, despite the horrible things that have happened, everything would be alright. But despite the mask he wore, all of what he felt inside were hurting him deeply. He wanted to just go hide somewhere and be alone to cry, or hurt something, or scream. But that wouldn't help. Sheryl stopped walking and sat on the ground. If he continued to walk then he might leave the site, not sure where he would end up. He couldn't leave Tyki behind. He took a deep, shaky breath, keeping silent. The teen didn't know what to do. He was doing all he could for Tyki, but getting nowhere. Were they ever going to leave this place? Sheryl couldn't stand it here anymore. That man, Ben, was getting on his last nerve. He just hated this man. Deep in his heart he knew he could never look him in the eye for whatever reason he had. It was almost as if he knew Ben from before. If that were so, then he must have done something to anger Sheryl. He just wanted to take Tyki and get out, never bother with this place again. He wanted to keep his little brother safe, provide a nice home for him and make sure that nothing bad would ever happen.

Suddenly, he felt tears begin to form. _No-! _He couldn't cry. But he did. The teen just burst into tears, unable to control himself. He cried for about twenty minutes, slowly turning into sobs, into nothing. Finally, he was silent once more, and he wiped the tears from his face.

_"Aw, why are you crying?"_

Sheryl's head shot up, not realizing that there was someone there. "W-what? Who are you - ?" he became almost frantic, not seeing anyone. Was he just imagining things? He was embarassed. He had let himself cry in front of someone. His eyes began to adjust to the dark, almost making out a figure. _A...girl? _She looked quite young -perhaps his age, or less. Sheryl could hardly make out her appearance. "You shouldn't cry, you know. You should be happy. Your little brother is alive and well. He's pretty cute, too. Can I play with him?" she giggled. Sheryl didn't know what to say or do. How did she know about Tyki? He didn't like this. Instead of answering her, he just got up and ran. He needed to go back and see if Tyki was alright. When he arrived, everything seemed just like how he left; not a thing changed. Sheryl sighed with relief when he saw Tyki. Who the hell was she? That bothered him. He'd have to ignore it though, and hopefully forget. Her giggle echoed in his head, and he shuddered. Slowly, he lay next to his little brother, huddling close to him. Tyki wiggled a bit in his sleep, and Sheryl couldn't help but smile at him. Despite being awake, the teen forced himself to sleep. He needed tomorrow to come, and be a better day.


	6. Chapter 6

Morning came. It was time to get up and go work. Sheryl didn't want to, he was too tired. It felt as if he got _no_ sleep, but when he opened his eyes, he saw that Antonio and Lucas were already gone. _I must have slept in. _He looked around tiredly, spotting Tyki and Ben. As always, they were playing cards. Sheryl watched them for a moment, then sighed. "Irmao!" Tyki exclaimed before running to him. The teen blinked and hugged him as the child ran into his arms. "Irmao, _good morning_!" Sheryl stared at his little brother, not sure what Tyki had just said. "What did you just say?" he asked. Tyki just smiled. He spoke another language, one Sheryl wasn't very familiar with. "Irmao, Ben is teaching me English. You should learn too! It's really fun! He says that if we learn, we can talk to people all over!" Sheryl wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't disagree that it wasn't a good idea - because it was a _great_ idea. But how did _Ben_ know how to speak English, of all people? "Let's do it, irmao, let's learn!" Tyki nuzzled Sheryl's neck. "O-okay, Tyki." he mumbled. Tyki let go of him and ran to Ben. "He says yes!" Sheryl watched him and smiled a bit. Eloi came walking up to Sheryl. He let out a "meow" and rubbed up against his knee. "Hm?" He picked up the cat and nuzzled him.

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months turned into a year. The boys had officially stayed at the mines for about two years now, and money was still an issue. Tyki continued to play with Eloi and Ben while Sheryl and the guys were out working. His boss asked if Tyki wanted to work too, but Sheryl refused to let Tyki come near the mines. During their stay, Tyki himself had earned some cash, but not much; and thanks to Ben, the boys knew how to speak a great amount of English. It turned out that Ben had traveled a lot and lived in England for quite some time. They were told to practice with each other whenever they could and the more they practiced the better they got. Sheryl seemed to prefer speaking in English to Tyki, but Tyki usually responded in Portuguese. He didn't want to lose knowledge of his native language, but he did speak in English as well. Despite helping them, Sheryl still had a hatred for Ben. Tyki didn't understand why, though. He loved Ben a lot and was grateful that he helped them as much as he did. Though, he did notice that he and Ben shared some similiarities.

But Tyki ignored it.

He watched Sheryl stumble into their shed, dirty and holding his head. He dropped his pick axe on the ground and went straight to his bed. "Irmao! Welcome ho-" Sheryl cut him off. "Tyki, shush. I-I need to lay down." The teen went straight to bed. Tyki frowned and sat on the ground. Eloi came to his side, then climbed into his lap. Quickly, Sheryl had fallen asleep.

"'Ey, kid. Your brother is asleep already?" Ben asked. Tyki nodded. "Yeah. He's so exhausted. I don't blame him. He works all day but gets almost nothing. He won't even let me help, so I feel bad."

"Y'know, you two have been here for a while. I kinda feel bad"  
>"It's okay really."<p>

Ben stopped to think for a moment. "Kid, let's play a round."

"Huh?"

"Poker."

"Oh, okay!"

"But," Ben gave Tyki a smirk, "we play for money."

Tyki stared at him. "Alright!" Ben could see the confidence in his eyes. For the next few hours, the two played.

"Irmao, wake up!"

Sheryl felt himself be shaken by his brother. He groaned in response, his head feeling a bit better. "What?" Tyki had the biggest smile on his face. "Irmao, we can go! We have money! I got us money!" Sheryl blinked, not quite sure if he heard his little brother right. "How?" he managed to say.  
>"I won it, brother! In a game!"<p>

"How, though?"

"Ben! He taught me, and I won! We can go, brother!" Tyki seemed so excited, and in an instant, Sheryl pulled him down into a hug. "Oh, Tyki!" he hugged him tightly, planting kisses all over his little brother. Tyki giggled madly. "I-Irmao, that's gross! Stop it!" Sheryl stopped and smiled. He let go of him and had Tyki face him. "Tyki, we can leave now and finally go somewhere nice!" Tyki nodded. "Yeah!" He giggled. Sheryl kept his smile and gave his little brother a small peck on the lips. "You've done well, Ty-" Suddenly, Tyki was snatched from his arms. "'EY! What do ya think you're doin'?" Ben growled. Sheryl glared at him and Tyki frowned. "W-wait-!" Tyki whined. "What the hell was that? He's your _brother _for fucks sake!"  
>"Do what?"<br>"Kiss him like that!"

"He's my brother, I can o whatever I want with him!"  
>Tyki watched the two argue back and forth, unsure if he should butt in.<p>

"No, no you can't, ya freak! He's _MY_ son! Don't you dare touch him!"  
>Sheryl stared at the man, in shock. "What?" Tyki stared at Ben as well, confused. The teen knew something was with that man, and now that he heard that, it made sense to him. There was a reason why this man was so familiar, and yet he hated him so much. This was Tyki's real father. "B-but my father is gone. H-he left mama and us, a-and then that would make you irmao's pai as well!" Tyki mumbled. Sheryl looked back at Tyki, frowning a bit. There was so much he needed to tell his brother; what he should have told him a while ago was things he didn't think he would <em>have<em> to. "T-Tyki, he's not...lying." After that was said, Tyki just turned and left with Eloi in his arms. Ben watched him, but Sheryl immediately got up to go after him. "Oh no you don't!" Ben grabbed Sheryl before he could even leave the shed, pulling him and throwing him onto the ground. "You stay the fuck away from him!" The teen growled and tackled the older man, angry. "You bastard! This is all your _fault_!" Sheryl growled angrily. He tried to beat the man, but Ben managed to toss him off of him, getting up. "My fault? Maybe if you weren't such a fuckin' weirdo, this wouldn't have happened! I would have been fine letting you two go off, letting him be around you if you hadn't been a creep getting all on him!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I was just showing affection towards him, I'M NOT THE ONE WHO _ABANDONED_ HIM!"  
>And with that, Ben kept silent. Sheryl was right about that; Ben hadn't been there with his mother, nor Tyki. He couldn't. He wasn't ready for that, and after the last two years he finally realized what a mistake that was. And with Tyki just now finding out suddenly, it must be a shock to him. Ben felt awful, being reminded how stupid he was. It's not like his own son could suddenly forgive him, right? No - he would. They had gotten so close and he did his best to make up for that time he wasn't there-<p>

"Why so silent?" Sheryl growled. "Don't think that suddenly now you can pretend to be a father. You left him. Abandoned him. With our sick mother. You must be punished." Ben rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm fuckin' scared. I'll break you, kid. I'm not afraid of you. I'm going to make sure that Tyki stays away from you. He doesn't need some freak getting all up on him. You stay away from my son!"

Sheryl felt his anger build up to a point where he could no longer hold it in. The next thing he knew, he had attacked Ben. Ben had struggled a bit to get Sheryl off of him again, but wasn't doing a good job. All this time working at the mines, Sheryl had gotten some upper body strength, but Ben managed to push him off. "Little fuck!" he growled. The teen couldn't allow Ben to keep Tyki from him. There was no way that would happen, he wouldn't leave his brother to a good-for-nothing bum! Without even thinking, Sheryl grabbed onto something and swung at Ben. He missed. But the next swing, he heard a crack, and then felt something hit his face. It took the teen a moment to realize what had happened; he as blinded by rage, unaware of what he was really doing. When he finally saw, he was in shock. He had swung the pick axe at Ben, going through the older man's chest. Ben seemed to be in shock as well, finally falling to his knees. Sheryl took a minute, before grabbing the handle, pulling it out and swinging at him again. _There's no way this bastard is taking my baby brother from me! _The teen continued to stab him with it, making nothing but a bloodied mess. The man was already dead by the second hit, but he continued to do it out of anger. He had so much hatred for this man, this was his punishment. Finally, he stopped. He dropped the pick axe and stared at the mess that was once Ben. Sheryl stayed in silence for a moment as he wiped some of the blood off of his face, onto his blood-stained shirt. "Burn in Hell." He spat. He turned to leave the shed, taking off with the money and a blanket. Sheryl needed to find Tyki now, before anything happened.


End file.
